Fabulous Me by Ayelet Nathaniel

What a great book! We follow this child through her choices of what she loves to do and see.

Where does she like to go, and what does she like to do? 

Ride along on her adventures, and come up with where you would choose to go.

I love how she finds the best memories and places are those where she is with her family.

The time spent with her family, slowing down and taking the time to enjoy it. 

I love that feeling, and need that reminder sometimes!

I highly recommend this book. Illustrations along with story make for a wonderful book.

You can find the book at amazon at 

Fabulous Me

Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of this in order to do my review. No other compensation was received. My reviews are always honest and are my own opinions.

Who's Under the Bed by Ayelet Nathaniel

                                                                 

                                                                    

      I think all children at some point have the same fear of what could be under the bed. A fear of being left alone in the dark.  For a lot of children, there is the fear of monsters under the bed.  In this book we find a great story about a small monster at bed. He is sharing with his mom about feeling afraid. He is scared that there might be a child under the bed. 

      He continues to want his mom to stay and feels sure she will keep him safe. As mom tries to convince him that a child is probably nice, he starts to feel secure. He finally realizes that a child might be just like him. He finally allows mom to leave the room knowing that if a child is like him, he'll be ok.

This is a cute book, and would be great to share with any child who is going through the fear of the dark, or of monsters. The illustrations are great. They are bold, bright colors and help to bring the story to life.  

You can find out more about this book and more at the author's website at http://www.playfulkitchen.com/

You can purchase this book on amazon at Who's Under the Bed

Disclosure: I received the ebook copy of this book in order to do the review. No other compensation was received. My reviews are always honest and are my own.

Jade and the Tooth Fairy

Jade and the Tooth Fairy

        By Jacinta Zechariah

      Many kids ,when they start loosing teeth, often wonder what happens to the teeth when the Tooth Fairy takes their tooth. In Jade and the Tooth Fairy, we find a unique look at Jade and what she discovers.  

      When Jade puts her tooth under her pillow, she tries to stay awake to meet the Tooth Fairy.  Upon arrival, Jade convinces the Tooth Fairy to allow her to come see the Fairy Land. We go along on the trip to a land of magic and delight. They fly as the Fairy flaps her fairy wings to this magical land. Here she is able to see what her imagination has created. She pictures the land and finds all sorts of fun.

      Jade learns what happens to the teeth after they arrive in Fairy Land. The idea in the book is a unique and creative one. 

      

      I think this is a cute and creative story written for younger children approaching the age of loosing teeth and works through the process of the Tooth Fairy in a fun way.

      The illustrations are my favorite part of the book.  They did a wonderful job of capturing the storyline. The artwork was fun and well done. I feel this helped to pull the book together into the complete story.

      This is a quick read, but one children can look at many times. 

About the author:

Jacinta Zechariah (nee Dias) lives in London, UK with her husband and 3 children – 2 daughters and a son. She loves travelling and being with her family.

She has a teaching degree with a Masters in Literature but now spends her time writing and marketing her book. When she is not busy with her children she is busy writing her future books and content for her blog.

She began writing at a very early age when she and her sister would make little paper books where she would write and her sister would illustrate. 

She writes poetry and has had a few poems published in anthologies.

Jade and the Tooth Fairy is her debut book and has been written with her daughter Jadyn in mind. 

She loves writing and would love to inspire more people to get involved in reading especially children. 

You can find out more about the author at these locations:

Author central:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00CBCU4AQ

Website: http://jacintaz3.co.uk/jade-and-the-tooth-fairy/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17789241-jade-and-the-tooth-fairy

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JadeAndTheToothFairy?ref=hl

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jacintaz3

Here's where you can buy the book:

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Jade-Tooth-Fairy-ebook/dp/B00CB3SVY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366894210&sr=8-1&keywords=jade+and+the+tooth+fairy

Amazon.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jade-Tooth-Fairy-ebook/dp/B00CB3SVY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366894315&sr=8-1&keywords=jacinta+zechariah

Smash words : https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304565 Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Jade-Tooth-Fairy-ebook/dp/B00CB3SVY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366894210&sr=8-1&keywords=jade+and+the+tooth+fairy

Disclosure:  I did not receive compensation for this review. I only received the ebook in order to do the review.        My opinions are honest and my own.

Grammarics

As a homeschool mom, I was thrilled to be able to help promote this product. Grammarics is a unique and wonderful program which helps teach young children grammar in a way that will help children be able to learn at a quicker pace, in my opinion.

This book has wonderful and easy to follow grammar rules but what I liked the best were the pictures that went along with the rules and descriptions. The pictures make the learning process so much easier, especially for visual learners.
 Here is an example of one page of the book:

See how well it puts the picture together with what the sentence reads. I really wish this program had been around when my son was learning grammar. Not only does this book make it easy to understand, but it makes learning fun! Great for homeschool, but also a great help for kids who might need an extra look at a specific part of grammar that might be confusing.


A big irritant for many people is when the following is used incorrectly. Here is a great way to help kids (anyone really!) remember which way is correct:

You can find the book and also some great posters at www.grammarics.com

NOW IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!   Enter for your chance to win a copy of Grammarics ebook!

There will be five (5) winners! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of Grammarics in order to do my review. I was not required to do a positive review. My reviews are always honest and my opinions are my own.

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

Summary:

      This is book 1 in a series called Home to Hickory Hollow, about life in Amish country.  In this book we are introduced toAmelia. She is an English girl who is searching for the life she wants. She has spent most of her life playing the fiddle in concerts around the world. She really wants, and needs, some rest. She feels she is missing out on something and wants peace.
      In a rainstorm on her way home from a fiddle concert, outside her normal realm of music, she meets Michael. Michael is in the midst of his own search. He struggles with the decision of whether or not to join the Amish church. His family expects him to, but he feels a pull to the outside world even with his love of his family and the life at home.
      As they talk, they find themselves able to talk in a way neither has been able to before. When Amelia returns with him to Hickory Hollow, we follow her as she learns to find peace and return to a heart relationship with God. Through many struggles, and many heartfelt talks, we see how these friends begin to rely on each other to help find the life God wants for them both.

Review:

      I have always been interested in Amish stories. I think because of how simple they make life. I know I could not live the way they do, and some of their beliefs are not matched up with mine, but regardless, I find myself drawn to these books. I have read most of Beverly Lewis's books, and knew before I read this book I would like it. I was not disappointed. It was great! Her style of writing allows readers to become a part of the story and feel apart of the families in the book.
      This book weaved a wonderful story of friendship, love and ultimately a relationship with God. I found myself captivated and didn't want to put the book down. It made me wonder how I could apply what was in the story to my own life.
      The story flows in a way which keeps the reader interested and always looking forward. I highly recommend checking this book out. It will leave you wanting to know more. Yes, I am already reading book 2!

You can find the book at amazon.com
Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for this review. My reviews are always honest and are my own opinion.

Serenity Candle Giveaway!

Exciting news! Let me introduce you to a really neat online candle company based out of New York called the The Serenity Candle Company. They are allowing us to let one of our readers win a set of two Serenity Candles in a giveaway! How awesome is that? According to the website at Serenity Candle Company:

Our "ECO-PURE" Soy Serenity Brand Candles last 2 times longer burntime, stronger scent throw and are "non toxic" "dye free" compared to other brands that use "paraffin-petroleum" waxes.

(photo courtesy of Candleshop.com)

The high quality line of soy candles that the Serenity Candle Company create are non toxic, dye free and have a very clean burn. Soy Serenity candles are actually hand-poured so they take great care in making these products "just right". Check out the amazing soy candle fragrances they have available - some are just so inviting! The Serenity Candle Company works hard to provide premium, eco-friendly candles for their customers. They make a fabulous gift for Mother's Day or any occasion! Serenity Candle Company is currently running a sale of 30% off on many of their products too! Rebecca at Love2EncourageYou writes: "It was so much fun to surprise my Mom for Mother's Day and to be an unexpected blessing to my Mother-in-law as well. I hope you will do the same and bless the moms in your life with something special from Serenity Candle Company this year. Your Mom, Mother-in-law, Wife, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, or boss at work may even enjoy receiving such a lovely scented and practical gift idea this Mother's Day! Serenity Candle Company rises above the rest in my book - they deliver a fantastic product using some eco-friendly materials and absolutely beautiful scents. Enjoy!" Please be sure to check them out and follow on Facebook at Serenity Candle Company and Soy Serenity too. Ready for a fun giveaway? Starts 5/7 at 12:01 am or midnight tonight (May 6). Details below.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Brought to you by

The Serenity Candle Company

and organized by

Rebecca at Love2EncourageYou

Prize: One winner will receive their choice of scents in 2 Medium (7 oz) Serenity Jar Candles. Location: resident of the USA. Date: May 7th - May 19th at 12:01am Age: Must be 18 years or older to enter. Void where prohibited. Use the Rafflecopter form below and you could win 2 Medium Soy Serenity Scented Jar Candles in your choice of fragrances! Once you enter using the mandatory entry, it will unlock additional optional entries that you can enter to increase your chance of winning. Thanks for entering!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Lost Island of Book Reviews did not receive any compensation for this post except for a link on the giveaway form. Love2EncourageYou and Lost Island of Book Reviews are not responsible for sponsor prize fulfillment.

The Whisper Theory

The Whisper Theory

by Amber Swenson

Summary:

      Whisper Theory is a book that is part story, and part bible study. We follow the lives of three friends and roommates Meghan, Carol and Jeff. We learn about their college life, thoughts of the future, their remembering of the past, and the present difficulties mixed in. 

      Meghan is a Christian who is having a hard time living her convictions. Her roommates are not Christians and instead of her being able to witness positively to them, they pull Meghan in their direction of living life. She finds it difficult to stand firm in her faith, and finds herself dipping her toes in temptation and in love with the wrong person.     

       

      She deals with many circumstances and sins which lead her away from God. How far will she go, and how much will she have to suffer before she finds her way back to God and the relationship with him that she craves? You will learn this and more through reading the book.

Review:

    

      Initially, when I read the listing for this book to review, I found myself intrigued. I enjoy a good clean suspense book and that's what it looked like to me.  It was different than I expected, but still looked interesting.

      What I enjoyed about this book was how it included bible study questions after each chapter. The questions related to the previous chapter and allowed some in depth looks at the subject matter covered in the chapter. I liked how it gave direct links to what the Bible says about the topic. The questions were thought-provoking, and allowed time in the word.

      I felt like there were some parts of the story which were hard to follow. The story seemed to bounce around leaving sections confusing. I see it more as an informational story book rather than a work of fiction. There were many difficult subjects covered from sex, drinking, murder and more. In general it was handled well. To me I felt it focused somewhat too much on the actual sin details. I wish there had been more of seeing Meghan trying to live a Christian life instead of being so easily swayed to the world. I think more could have been done to show this.

      For me, the last few chapters were the best where we find redemption. I think this would be good for college age kids, who might be encountering the subjects and could learn from them.

     

      Overall, Whisper Theory is a worthwhile read. I felt by far the best part of the book was the bible study.

Disclosure:  I received a free ebook copy of Whisper Theory from booksneeze.com in order to do my review. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions are honest and are my own. They may differ from others.